Quinta Brunson, the creator of Abbott Elementary on ABC, has officially signed a new overall deal with Warner Brothers Television. Brunson, who created Abbott Elementary in 2021, has also worked on such shows as Big Mouth and Quinta vs. Everything, as well as holding a previous role with Buzzfeed Motion Pictures.
Abbott Elementary, which first premiered in December 2021 and was recently renewed for a second season, features Brunson as Janine Teagues, a second-grade teacher working at Willard R. Abbott Elementary School, a grossly-underfunded and predominately Black school in Philidelphia. Janine and her coworkers Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams), Ava Coleman (Janelle James), Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter), Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti), and Barbra Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph) are among the only teachers at the school to have been employed for over a year, due to the school’s high turnover rate and are on a mission to improve the school “simply because they love teaching,” according to the show’s synopsis.
When the staff at Abbott Elementary are chosen to become the subjects of a documentary on underfunded teachers following the firing of former teacher Tina Schwartz (Kate Peterman), a film crew moves into Abbott Elementary and documents the trials and tribulations in a mockumentary-like TV series.
Inside Quinta Brunson’s Deal with Warner Brothers TV
Aside from writing Abbott Elementary, Quinta Brunson is also known for her roles on Big Mouth (2019), Lazor Wulf (2019), and Miracle Workers (2021). Prior to 2018, Brunson was employed by Buzzfeed Video and is well-known for her roles in Buzzfeed shows such as Ladylike and Broke, along with several other skits and satires for Buzzfeed and Buzzfeed Yellow. After leaving Buzzfeed in 2018, Brunson made her TV debut as Ruby at The End of the World as We Know It (2018), which also marked the beginning of her partnership with Warner Brothers Television; a partnership that then extended into Brunson’s role on iZombie (2019) for the CW and now into her new agreement with the studio.
Quinta Brunson’s new deal with Warner Brothers Television means that along with continuing to serve as an executive producer, writer, and actress for Abbott Elementary, Brunson will use Warner Bros. TV as a “studio home for any new television projects,” according to Deadline. Regarding the new agreement, Brunson told Variety, “I’m excited to expand my long-running creative partnership with Warner Bros. With Abbott as our anchor, I look forward to what we’ll create next.”
On behalf of Warner Brothers, company executive Channing Dungey added:
“Quinta Brunson is a tour de force and a powerhouse talent, and we are beyond thrilled to be continuing our partnership with her through this new overall deal. What Quinta and her Abbott Elementary team have achieved in the first season is just extraordinary…I’m so grateful that Quinta is part of our WBTV family, and I look forward to many more years of successful collaboration.”
Season 2 of Abbott Elementary, created by and starring Quinta Brunson, will be released in September 2022. Season one of Abbott Elementary is currently available to stream on HBO Max, Hulu, and various other streaming platforms.